Doctor Loses Life to Ebola in Outbreak
By: Associated Press
~Ebola outbreak in Uganda’s Bundibugyo District
-29 dead
-113 suspected to be infected
~fear of outbreak becoming major epidemic
~Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) say Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever (Ebola HF) is often lethal in humans, and other primates
~Ebola HF has appeared sporadically since 1976
~Outbreaks are believed to occur by exposure of humans to infected animals
~Symptoms:
-fever
-vomiting
-diarrhea
-bleeding from all body openings
-incubation period 5-10 days
-symptoms last 2-3 weeks
-if patient dies it is usually within a week of symptoms starting
-people are forbidden to leave the infected area until a symptom-free 3-week period has passed since their last contact with a known case
~Patients typically die from shock or respiratory failure
~Spread through contact with blood or other bodily fluids
~Dr. Jonah Kule grew up in Bundibugyo, went to medical school, and came back to care for his tribesmen
~He was the first to investigate this outbreak in October of 2010
-it began in Kikyo, about 14 kilometers from Bundibugyo
-it is confirmed the first family affected ate an infected monkey
-rumors of a mysterious illness with fever, abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, and rapid death is why he went to investigate
-first it was suspected to be cholera, then typhoid fever
-Kule held community meetings to emphasize hygiene and dispel rumors of witchcraft/poison
~Nov. 29 blood sample results returned from the CDC…ebola, a new strain
~The following Thursday Kule complained of a headache
~Friday morning Kule admitted himself into the hospital
~Friday-Sunday Kule was still walking and talking
~Tuesday night, Kule died